Breech-loading ordnance.



A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM. BRBEGH LOADING ORDNANG.

APPLICATION FILED APILZ, 1910.

1,067,720. Patented July 15, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. T. DAWSON L G. T. BUGKHAM.

BREEGH LOADING ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED Amm. 1910.

1,067,720. Patented Ju1y15,1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

oLuMBlA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

A. T. DAWSON &` G. T. BUKHAM.

BRBECH LOADING ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. z. 1910.

Patented July 15, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

www0/oom umn ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKI-IAM, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO JOI-IN J'. KNAPP, TRUSTEE, OF WASHINGTON,

DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.

BREEOH-LOADING ORDNANCE.

Application led April 2, 1910.

Serial No. 553,062.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it knownV that we, ARTHUR Tanvon DAWSON and Grenen THOMAS BUCKHAM, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Vilestminster, London county, England, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Breech-Loading Ordnance; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same.

This invention relates to breech loading ordnance of the kind set forth in the specification of the prior British Patent No. 28785 of 1903, in which provision is made for injecting into the gun-breech a jet or jets of compressed air or other suitable fluid during the opening of the breech, with the object of obviating the backward rush of ilame or hot gases, which is liable to occur when the gun is fired in a head wind, and also with the object of eectually clearing the bore of the gun of any combustible matter which may remain therein after firing.

rlhe chief purpose of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for controlling the supply of the compressed air or other fluid to the gun, the improved apparatus being characterized by simplicity of construction and control and by the fact that it does not interfere with the rapid assembling or dismantling of the mechanism.

According to our invention the valve used for controlling the supply of the compressed air or other fluid, is automatically operated by the movement of the swinging carrier through the intervention of a device actuated by the hinge bolt of the swinging carrier. rlhe mechanism is so constructed and arranged in relation to the said valve that the supply of air or other fiuid continues as long as the breech mechanism remains in the fully open position, the said valve being closed when the swinging carrier is moved a few degrees from its fully open position. The control of the supply of air is effected through the hand lever of the breech mechanism and therefore the man who operates the mechanism controls the blast and uses his discretion in shutting off the air supply by merely slightly returning the breech mechanism toward the closed position when he sees that the bore is clear. In one constructional form of our device, the said valve is actuated Ybynmeans of aV cam on the Carrier hinge bolt, the said cam being so arranged that it causes the air control. valve to commence opening as the cartridge cX- tractor receives its ejecting impulse, and to become fully open as the cartridge case leaves the breech chamber; when the swinging carrier is moved inward a few degrees from its fully open position, the said cam moves into a position to permit the control valve to close automatically. n another constructional form of our device, the air control valve is operated by a lever pivoted to the valve casing, the said lever heilig actuated by a cam or the like on the upper end of the carrier hinge bolt. The said lever is so constructed that when moved in one direction by the cam (during the opening of the breech) it actsA upon the stem of the control valve and opens the latter, while when moved in the other direction (in closing) it passes clear of the valve stem. The valve-actuating cam is so arranged that it permits the control valve to admit the compressed air to the breech immediately the obturator is sufficiently clear of the charge chamber.

In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into eiiiect we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of the breech end of a gun provided with one form of our improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is aplan view partly in section of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a l.sectional elevation on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the breech end of a gun provided with a modified form of our improved apparatus. Fig. 5 is a plan of Fig. 4, showing the parts in the position they occupy at the commencement of the opening of the control valve. Fig. G is a side elevation of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an en larged view showing the normal position of the parts when the breech is closed. Fig. S is an enlarged view of the cam device, and Figs. 9 to 14 are views showing the position of the parts at various stages of the opening and closing of the breech.

In these figures A is the breech end of the gun, B is the breech screw, B is the swinging carrier and C is the carrier hinge bolt.

Patented July 15, 1913.

D is the passage formed in the breech end of the gun, for conducting the air or other fluid into the bore ofthe gun.`

D is the pipe connecting the said passage with the control valve casing D2.

1n the constructional form of ourimproved apparatus when applied to breech mechanism of the kind usedl with a case contained charge, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, the air control valve CZ, which is of the spring controlled plunger type, is supported on the breech end Y of the gun, and a cam' CL for'operating said valve is connected to the upper end of the carrier l'iinge bolt C by means of a key and keyway arrangement so as to permit o-f the vertical movement of the said cam against the resistance of a spring c. An interrupted lifting ring C2 is situated bet-weon the head CX of the carrier hinge bolt C and the aforesaid valve-actuating cam C. The said ring C2 has inclined segmental portions c engaging with corresponding portions formed on the upper side of the hinge bolt head CX and on the under side of the valve-actuating cam C. A spring-controlled lever C3 engages with a radial arm 0X on the said lifting ring C2 when the breech mechanism is fully open. As the breech screw is being swung out of the gun in opening the breech, the valve-actuating' cam C rotates with the carrier hinge bolt Cf and at the proper moment moves the valve stem CZ longitudinally and thus opens the control valve to admit thecompressed air to the gun, During this action the lifting ring C2 also rotates with the hinge bolt C and the arm GX on the said ring, being beveled on oneside, displaces the spring controlled lever C3. As soon as the breech screw is fully swung into the open position, the said arm cx clears the aforesaid spring controlled lever C3, which then immediately returns to its normal position under the iniiuence of its spring. The said lever C3 then lies in engagement with the opposite side of the said arm o* on the lifting ring C2. On commencing to return the breech screw to the closed position, the inclined portions on the hinge bolt C and the cam C move-along the inclines c on the lifting ring C2 owing to the fact that the latter is prevented from rotating by the spring'controlled lever CR; the cam Cl and the lifting ring C2 therefore rise. As soon as the cam C rises sufliciently to become disengagedv from the valvestem Z fthe latter closes under theL influence of its spring.v At the same time the lifting ring C2 rises sulficiently to clear the said `spring controlled lever C3, over the end of which it therefore passes." During the further rotation of the carrier hinge pin C in closing the breech, a flange CX rests laterally against the control valve stem el, and the camC isl thus prevented from'assuming its Vnormal position.

When the breech is closed, a gap in the said iiange CX registers with the valve stem and enables the cam C to return to its normal position under the influence of its spring c.

In the constructional form of our improved apparatus when applied to breech mechanism of the kind in which an obturatoris employed, as illustrated in Figs. t to 14 of the accompanying drawings, the air control valve is operated by a valve lever E pivoted at EX to the valve casing D2, the said lever being actuated b y a cam arrangement or'ithe like on the upper end of the carrier hinge bolt C. T he said cam arrangement comprises two cams C and C2 of which-the former is on the carrier hinge bolt, while the latter, which acts as tripping cam, is pivotally connected to the camv C by means of a pivot pin c, the tripping cam C? being disposed in a recessformed in the part C. The said recess is formed with its rear wall as a curve struck from the pivot pin c as -a center, and is provided with a beveled portion cx (Fig. 8)- adapted to engage with a similar surface on the tripping cam C2 to prevent movement of the cam C in a rearward direction. 1n the aforesaid recess is a spiral compression spring cx, the endsl of which are in contact with the cams C and C2. The said cams are provided with cam-surfaces c and c2 respectively both of which are normally in engagement with the toe e of the-aforesaid valve lever E. The said lever has a cam surface e against which the rounded end of the spring controlled valve spindle (Z bears, the said cam surface el actuating the said valve spindle as the lever E is rocked aboutI its pivot EX when the breech is opened. A spring plunger .F bears upon the `forward. portion of the lever E and tends tolnormally keep the same in the position shown in Fig. 7. A heel eX on the lever E is adapted to engage in a notch formed in the face of 'the said spring plunger as shown inFigs. 9, 10, 11 and 12,

in which position the cam surface e of the lever Evliolds the valve (Z in-the open position;

During the outward movement of the swinging carrier in open-ing the breech the cam surfacec of the cam C acts upon the `toe e of the lever :E to displace the same against the resistance of the spring plunger F from the position shown in Fig. 7 to that shown in Fig. Further displacement of the swinging carrier causes the parts to assume the position shown in Fig. 9 when the valve Z is fully open and the valve lever E is retained in position by means of the engagement of the heel eX in the notch of the-spring plunger F. The tripping cam C2 has during this operation been displaced bythe lever E' and the cam surface c2 into the positiony shown in Fig. 10.- Further movement of -the'f swinging vcarrier in the direction of the arrow ivill carry the cam surface c2 of the tripping cam C2 out of contact With the valve lever E, and the said cam will therefore, under the influence oit its spring CX, assume its original position in relation to the cam C as shoivn in Fig. 11. Movement of the swinging carrier to close the breech; z'. e. in the direction shown by the arron7 in Fig. 12 will then cause the cam portion c2 of the tripping cam C2 to engage with the toe e of the valve lever E, which results in the heel 6X of the said lever being moved out of engagement with its notch, the tripping cam C2 being` prevented from movement in. the reverse direction by means of the beveled surface cx as atore* said. its soon as the heel ex is moved out of the said notch the spring controlled plunger F causes the lever lil and the valve (Z to resume their normal position. .lf now the swinging carrier were again moved to the fully open position, it is obvious that. the valve lever E and consequently the valve Z would not be operated. Fig. lit illustrates the position of the parts when the breech is nearly closed; showing the valve lever E rocked in the reverse direct-ion against the resistance of the spring plunger l?. The cam surface e' is so arranged that no motion is imparted to the valve spindle d during this movement. The dotted lines in Fig. la show the position that the cam surface c2 occupies when the breech is completely closed; in which position the valve lever E under the influence of the spring plunger F, returns to the normal position illustrated in Fig. 7.

We claim l. r'he combination with a` gun having a breech closure; and aI hinge bolt on which said closure is mounted; of means 'for directing a blast of air into the gun breech; a valve for regulating said air blast; a projecting member on said valve; and a projecting member on the hinge bolt of the closure operable to engage with the projecting member of the valve and ellect the opening of said valve when the closure is opening and means to release the valve to close `when the closure is closing; substantially as described.

2. The combination with a gun having a hinged breech closure; ot means for directmg a blast of air into the gun breech; a. valve for regulating said air blast; a stem on said valve; a cam on the hinge of the closure having inclined portions and adapted to engage 1vith said valve stem and open the valve when the closure is opened; said cam mounted to rotate With and have axial movement on said hinge; a member on said hinge adapted to cooperate with said cam; and a stop coperable with said member for effecting the release of said valve from the cam when the closure is closing, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a. gun having a hinged breech closure; of means for directing a blast of air into the gun breech; a valve for regulating said air blast; a stem on said valve; a cam and a ring mounted to rotate with and have axial movement on the hinge of the closure and each having inclined port-ions; said cam adapted to engage with the valve stem and open the valve when the closure is o-pened; a spring holding said cam ring in engagement; and a stop member adapted to engage the ring and efect the release of said cam and valve stem to close said valve when the closure is closing; substantially as described.

Ll. rlhe combination ivith a gun having a hinged breech closure; ot means for directing a blast of air into the gun breech; a valve for regulating said air blast; a ste-m on said valve; a cam mounted to rotate with and have axial movement on the hinge ot the closure and having inclined portions; a. head on said hinge having inclined portions; a ring having inclined portions mounted in termediate said head and cam; a spring on the hinge holding the inclined portions of: said cam, ring and head in contact; said cam adapted to engage with the valve stem and open the valve when the closure is opened; and a stop member adapted to engage with said ring and eect to raise the cam and release the valve stem when the closure is closing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, ive aflix our signatures, in presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR. TREVOR DAVSON.

GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. lVitnesses l-lmsnr KING, ALFRED Pnaiis.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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